So, you want to keep a pet tarantula?

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She's sat quite happily on the substrate at the moment, underneath her hide.
Tank has a gauze lid, and an air vent on the side, so plenty of ventilation.
Glad it won't harm her, no worries about her being dehydrated :)
 
I'd love to see some updated pics of Pepper, Rio, Mugabe and the other grumpy so n so if you guys have the time at some stage. It would be nice to catch up with some of your "originals" and see how big they have got now.:)
 
Originally posted by DirtyMinx
I'd love to see some updated pics of Pepper, Rio, Mugabe and the other grumpy so n so if you guys have the time at some stage. It would be nice to catch up with some of your "originals" and see how big they have got now.:)
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Pepper moulted last week :) I will get some pics later today if I get the chance.
 
Okay. Only put a small one in today to see if i could gauge her mood, but she seems totally not interested in it. Will give her until the morning to do something with it, then it's going back in the box :)
 
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Just handled her for the first time. You can see some of the colouring on her body as well.

She's a bit clumsy with the climbing, seen her fall off the side of the glass a couple of times.

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She's fallen off the tank several times now, it's only a drop of a couple of inches, but i'm worried she could hurt herself.
She's never fallen before, that has just been since i handled her for a minute or two.

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Originally posted by Lostkat
You haven't damaged her, don't worry. If you're concerned about the distance she's falling, raise the substrate level. Once the substrate has dried out, she'll stop climbing anyway :)
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You must be a mind-reader :)
I've raised it up in the 4 corners, as that's the only place she's climbing.
Right now, she's on the underside of the lid.
Handled her quite a lot today, she seems to love getting out to explore. Still not eaten anything, gave her a small cricket, but she ignored it for 6 hours, could well be too small for her to notice.
 
She ate her first cricket today!! I know it was too soon to be feeding her really, but she didn't half jump on it as soon as she realised it was there. She can have another one tommorow methinks, as they are only tiny little ones.
 
Well today she must have eaten about a half dozen crickets. My girlfriend tried to feed her just one, and acidentally tipped about half a dozen in. Before we'd rounded them all up, she was jumping on them all, and ate them all in a few hours... greedy wench :)

She's webbed a bit inside her lair, might be getting ready for a moult perhaps, or just making it seem like home?
 
I'd probably say 16, unless supervised by a parent.
T's can live for up to 20 years dependant on species and gender, so it's a big commitment.

Additional to my previous posts:
She's not moulting, just being a bit webby. Ate another cricket today as soon as it was entered, but didn't seem interested in the 2nd i put in so i removed it.
Substrate has dried out nicely, and she's stopped climbing as much as before, even when she does climb, she's stopped falling, so it's a win-win situation :)
She's lovely to hold, i hold her over my bed, so she can't fall to far if she does slip.. made a run for my pillows today and tried to get underneath :P
 
When she's ready to moult, you'll know it. At that size they usually stop eating for around 2 weeks and any bald patches on their abdomen darken.

Sounds like you have quite a fiesty one there. Chile Rose's aren't famed for 'making a run' :D I'm glad you're happy with her anyway. They're a perfect starter spider, and are fine to be held. You're very wise to hold her over your bed. A dropped spider is usually a dead spider.

mike62 - I'd say at least 16 too. As Barbie said, some tarantulas can live for a long time (30 years plus for the Brachypelma), so it's a huge responsibility to take on. Too many people buy them because they think 'cool', and get bored within a few months because they won't jump through hoops and perform for you. You really do need to think very carefully before you buy one, and be sure that you'll look after it for the next 10.. 20.. 30 years.
 
Originally posted by Lostkat
mike62 - I'd say at least 16 too. As Barbie said, some tarantulas can live for a long time (30 years plus for the Brachypelma), so it's a huge responsibility to take on. Too many people buy them because they think 'cool', and get bored within a few months because they won't jump through hoops and perform for you. You really do need to think very carefully before you buy one, and be sure that you'll look after it for the next 10.. 20.. 30 years.
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That's not a problem for me, I'm 42 and can't stand spiders (although I have to say whenever I go to a pet shop or zoo I do have to stop and look at any Ts they may have). It was just something I was wondering.

Thanks for the replies.
 
Originally posted by Lostkat
Hi Sabbz,

That auratum will be worth a little bit. I have a friend who collects Brachy's. I should be seeing them this w/e. I'll ask how much they'd be prepared to pay for one if you like?

:)
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I got your email and replied but haven't heard from you yet. Just wondering if you got it.

Thanks.
 
Originally posted by DirtyMinx
I'd love to see some updated pics of Pepper, Rio, Mugabe and the other grumpy so n so if you guys have the time at some stage. It would be nice to catch up with some of your "originals" and see how big they have got now.:)
Click to expand...
Let's start with Mugabe shall we?

When I got her last spring she was a 1.5" juvenile:

Mugabe01


Now she's grown into a bright orange adult female.


Mugabe43.jpg


Mugabe44.jpg


Mugabe45.jpg
 
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